Xmas countdown: December 12: 13 days to go!

Xmas countdown: December 12: 13 days to go! The exchanging of gifts is one of the core aspects of the modern Christmas celebration, making it the most profitable time of year for retailers and businesses throughout the world. Gift giving was common in the Roman celebration of Saturnalia, an ancient festival which took place in late December and may have influenced Christmas customs. On Christmas, people exchange gifts based on the tradition associated with St. Nicholas, and the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh which were given to the baby Jesus by the Magi.

12-12-12: a date to remember

Today's date, 12/12/12, is considered auspicious by some, doomed by others, and just plain easy to remember by many.

Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2012 - 12/12/12 - is the last triple-digit date alignment until Jan. 1, 2101. There will be other interesting dates, of course, but none quite as aesthetically pleasing as 12/12/12, at least not for the next century or so.

The number certainly holds significance in human existence through the millennia: 

12 hours of day and night, 

12 months in the year in the Roman calendar, 

12 signs of the Zodiac, 

12 Apostles hand-picked by Jesus to spread his word. , 

12 days of Christmas, 

12 tribes of Israel  named for the sons of Jacob.

12 gods of Olympus,

12 old testament prophets... you get the idea.

12 people in a jury

12 labors or tasks must be completed by Hercules

12 hours how the Egyptians divided the day: 10 for daylight and one each for dawn and dusk.

12 considered a "three" number because the digits add up to three — corresponds with the largest planet, Jupiter (to the sun's No. 1 and the moon's No. 2), which means wealth.

 Mathematics fanatics are excited by the sheer number of ways the number 12 can be divided: halves, thirds, fourths, sixths, and twelfths.The number 12 is easily divided by 2, 3, 4, and 6  making it one of the easiest low numbers to work with and separate into groups,

 The number 12 brings harmony to the yin and yang of Chinese numerology: The number 1 is a yang number ruled by the sun, while 2 is a yin number ruled by the moon

 We group many things - baked goods, cans of beer, roses, the hours of the day - into sets of 12.

 In the Judeo-Christian tradition, it represents the product of three - symbolizing divinity (Holy Trinity, three classes of ancient Jews) - and four - symbolizing the earth (four directions, four seasons).

Doomsday diehards

However, many doomsdayers believe the date 12/12/12 heralds the end of the world, mainly owing to an interpretation of the Mayan calendar.

More pedantic believers in the end-of-the-world, meantime, are convinced that the actual doomsday is on 12/21/12, when the Mayan calendar is set to end.